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Alyssa; Pride Of Michigan

Alyssa: â€œThe most important things I have learned from my parents are to be strong, open minded, be myself, love myself...and always do good deeds.â€?

[Our Model Of The Day]

Where She’s From: Beautiful Alyssa McMillan whose sign is Scorpio, was born in Detroit, Michigan, at Grace Hospital and raised in Oak Park, MI. “I was two pounds 15 ounces; three months premature and my parents were just happy to have be alive,” she relates to The Black Star News. “The most important things I have learned from my parents are to be strong, open minded, be myself, love myself, don't ever let anybody tell me that I can't do anything, and always do good deeds.”

This is one active and dynamic young lady. She graduated from Berkley High school in 2003 where she was involved in concert orchestra, symphony orchestra, the dance team, cheer leading, Community Service Club, and Diversity Club. In 2004 she attended the National Personal Training Institute and graduated with a Personal Training & Nutrition Diploma. She also attends Schoolcraft College for Art and Music and plays the piano and violin.

Where She’s At: “I just started with modeling,” she says. “In 2006 I landed my first paid job for Delia's and Skintimate promotional fashion show in Chicago.”

She’s only 21, so the future is hers. “As long as I keep pushing towards my goals, I see my career and dreams going for as long as I live,” she adds confidently. “To me every day is a challenge—from people telling you, you can't do this, you are stupid, race, religion, disability…To Conquer challenges you have to look at it as an obstacle course that you can get tough,” Alyssa says. “These challenges just make you a stronger person.”

“I have been doing community service since I was 10,” Alyssa, who believes that you reap what you sow, continues. “I love community service, to give back and to help others. By the time I was 17 I had done over 200 hours of community service.” Some of the beneficiary groups include: Habitat for Humanity; Michigan State Police Alternative for girls; Greening of Detroit--planting trees; Oakland County food Bank; Maple Grove--Counseling kids that have been exposed to substance abuse; National Multiple Sclerosis Society; and, Oak Park Jewish Apartments, to name a few.

“Even though people see mostly beauty on the outside, I believe that it’s also inside,” Alyssa notes. “Somebody may be a beauty on the outside, but if the attitude, common sense, and brainpower are horrible, then that can make for an ugly person.”

Alyssa is going places—so how does she prepare to step out? “I use Eucerin, I have really dry skin. Makeup: I use three things; Sephora foundation, to give the face a fresh look, because my face is oily and acne prone, Maybelline unstoppable eye-liner, Covergirl natural lash mascara clear, Victoria's secrets lip gloss sexy, and Maybelline XXL volume length mascara. Perfume: Victoria's Secret very sexy. Clothing and Shoes: I wear a lot different things and get them from a lot of different stores my favorite stores are; Loehmans, Bebe Sport, Nordstrom’s BP, Macy's DSW, Express, Victoria’s Secret, and Guess. I love guess purses and watches.”

Alyssa’s Words Of Wisdom: “Be who you are and live your dreams, and don't even let anybody define who you are.”Alyssa’s Secrets Of Success: “Don't even let anybody tell you that you can't do something. Because when you think you can't do it, you can’t achieve the goals that you can.”Alyssa’s Favorite Three Movies: “The Color Purple, Malcolm X, and Titanic.”Alyssa’s Favorite Three Books: “A Child Called It: One Child's Courage to Survive, by Dave Pelzer; Surviving General Motors With Multiple Sclerosis: Questions Of Conscience, Morality And Leadership, by Zohar McMillan; and, 1001 Things Everyone Should Know About African American History, by Jeffrey C. Stewart.”Three Leaders That Have Most Inspired Alyssa: “Martin Luther King, John F. Kennedy and Elie Wiesel.”The First Three Things Alyssa Would Do As President: Find a way to get our troops out of Iraq; have free health care; and do something about immigration to make it fair.”Alyssa’s Favorite Cars: “Lamborghini, Mercedes-Benz, Range Rover and Rolls-Royce Phantom.”Alyssa’s Five Favorite Entertainers: “Jackie Wilson-baby workout; Whitney Houston--I will Always love you; Whitney Houston and Mariah Carey-- When You Believe; Aaliyah—one in a million; and Music of the night --Andrew Lloyd Webber.”Alyssa’s Five Favorite Websites: “Wikipedia.com, Yahoo.com, Myspace.com, facebook.com, and Victoria's secret.com.”

A Short Alyssa Story:“For years, my mom was a proud employee of General Motors. She loved her work as a Journeyman Electrician. Unfortunately, her work was transformed into a horror story when she was assigned to Pontiac Assembly Center where she was routinely bullied, harassed, and threatened by co-workers and supervisors. She was threatened with physical violence, stalked, denied safety rights…removed from a coveted job by a Superintendent who cited her MS condition, blatantly ignoring rights afforded under ADA. She was called Black nigger bitch. There were pictures posted about the plant, where she was depicted as Roadkill and KKK- style nooses were hung in the plant. A Foreman pressed his face close to hers and said, ‘I can't promise you you're going to live the next few minutes.’ When her case went before a Circuit Court Judge, he swiftly and willfully granted summary disposition judgments in GM's favor. Undaunted, she began her own investigation. In doing so, she discovered that 108 pages of her deposition had disappeared. She uncovered a letter from a GM executive threatening a union official who planned on helping her. Her lawyer lied to her about having filed an appeal. My mom went through all this, and transformed this horror into a book called Surviving General Motors With Multiple Sclerosis: Questions Of Conscience, Morality And Leadership. I am very proud of her. She wants to open the doors so that all of us have a chance in this world...”

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